Alfred missed most of the conversation exchange between Emma and the woman, but he returned early enough to catch the end of it.
"While I would like to have such a person in my team," the woman said calmly, "this matter is far too important. You will take the information to the Master and she will decide."
'I see,' Alfred noted silently. 'So, the Argus leader is a woman.'
"I believe that would be best," Emma replied with a short nod. "Have a good day."
With that, Emma turned and left.
Alfred followed as Emma retraced his steps, repeating the same careful process in reverse.
When he returned to the inn room above, he tidied it thoroughly, restoring it to exactly how it had been before he arrived.
He did not return the key to the receptionist. Technically, the room was his for the entire day.
Before leaving the inn, he paid in advance and requested dinner to be delivered to his room later that night.
Once outside, Emma moved through the city again, this time slipping into a series of narrow passages.
At the end of one such passage, Emma emerged into the back room of a boutique shop.
There, he washed properly, adjusted his posture, altered his hairstyle, and shifted his mannerisms until the sharp edges of a handler disappeared.
When he finished, he looked every bit the respectable gentleman.
Once he was sure he looked right in the mirror, he dressed up in fresh clothes.
When Emma stepped out into the front of the shop, the clerks merely nodded at him in greeting.
Alfred followed as Emma made his way through the streets toward a mansion not far away.
This time, Emma made no attempt to move fast or in stealth.
Emma walked openly and when he reached the gates, the guard gave him a brief nod and let him pass without question.
Inside the grounds, Alfred noticed another group of guards posing as servants. Their eyes lingered on Emma for a moment longer than necessary before drifting away.
'Another group with the eyes skills… good thing I came alone.' Alfred thought, had it been any of his subordinates they would have most likely been found by now and they were elites of elite assassins.
'This explains why none has found them yet.'
From what Alfred heard on their way, the picture was becoming clearer.
Emma was a steward under Honorary-Imperial Baroness Catherine Smith, responsible for managing one of her family's boutiques.
The Smith family had long since fallen from true noble standing. They were no longer permitted at court without special summons, and no such notice had been issued in a while.
Still, their textile business was thriving. Even if the Smiths lost their title entirely, they would fall comfortably into the merchant class rather than ruin.
Emma entered the main building.
As he passed a servant, he paused and spoke evenly.
"Locate Miss Mara and inform her that I have returned with information of importance for Lady Catherine."
The servant bowed lightly and hurried off.
Emma continued down the corridor toward the inner hall but was stopped outside a familiar doorway by two guards.
"Mistress is training," they said in unison, their tone practiced from repetition. "Return later."
Emma did not turn away.
"I require the Mistress's permission to determine how to proceed with a contractor spy," he said calmly. "The spy possesses information of significant value."
The guards hesitated.
Alfred watched closely before looking back, 'Someone else is coming.'
"What information is that?"
The voice came from behind him, tired but undeniably alluring.
Emma turned immediately. "Lady Mara. Information regarding who killed Scott Reus," he said without hesitation. "The informant is requesting promotion to core member in exchange for handing it over. Miss Abigail has already confirmed the information as genuine."
The woman standing before him was Mara, head stewardess of the household and Catherine's right hand.
She oversaw the daily operation of Argus Giant Eyes and managed the estate itself.
Most decisions passed through her hands unless the matter was serious enough to warrant Catherine's direct involvement.
Even so, Mara understood this situation clearly.
This was beyond her authority.
She nodded once to the guards. "Stand down."
Without a word, she turned and gestured for Emma to follow, this time guards did not stop him.
They moved down the corridor in silence, moving deeper into the estate. At the far end, instead of the main doors, Mara turned left.
With every step closer, the sounds of heavy impacts, sharp exhales and dull crack of metal striking wood could be heard through the door.
Mara sighed softly and raised her hand to knock.
"Mistress," she called evenly. "There is something important you need to hear."
The sounds stopped for a brief moment, then a calm, beautiful voice answered from within. "Come in." before the attacks resumed immediately after.
Mara opened the door and stepped aside, allowing Emma to enter after her before shutting the door.
The training room inside was chaotic to say the least.
The floor was scarred with deep grooves, and several practice mannequins lay shattered, limbs severed, torsos split cleanly in half.
Others were riddled with knife marks, their surfaces torn beyond recognition.
Broken blades littered the ground alongside discarded daggers, weighted knives, and bent training weapons.
Weapon racks lined the walls, most of them half-empty.
At the centre of it all was Catherine.
Her movement was sharp as she flowed from one mannequin to the next, blades flashing as she struck without pause, and every single attack she made was precise.
"My lady," Mara said carefully, watching another mannequin lose its head. "Perhaps you should take some time to rest."
Catherine snapped her head toward them mid-strike.
"And do what?" she shot back. "Wait for that bastard to reach Master rank before me?" Her blades struck deep into the target. "Or do you think I enjoy this?"
Mara exhaled quietly, she understood better than anyone what her mistress was going through.
So, she said nothing more.
Instead, she turned to Emma. "Speak. Explain yourself."
Emma straightened.
"One of my contractors, Jackson, was present on the night of the Reus heir's death," he said evenly. "He claims to know who committed the act and has seen their leader. Miss Abigail have verified his claim as true."
The sound of blades striking wood slowed.
Catherine finally stopped, she stood still, breathing deeply before slowly turning to face them.
The room fell silent.
Catherine was squinted as she thought deeply, 'This was an opportunity.'
A dangerous one, but also a rare chance to secure resources she desperately needed to strengthen both herself and her forces.
Argus Giant Eyes was, at its core, an intelligence agency.
Not an army.
Most of her people were analysts, handlers, observers.
Even the eye-guards Alfred had noticed were not true elites. They were ordinary guards with special ocular skills, that allowed them to see through disguises, illusions, and stealth techniques.
Useful, yes, but not soldiers capable of standing against real threats that she would most likely face in the future.
That weakness weighed heavily on her.
And it wasn't the only problem.
Within her own family, issues were popping up.
Simon, her uncle's son, was competing with her for leadership.
To make it worse, what little defensive force the family possessed was under his control.
Officially, the Smith family was nothing more than a textile-focused honorary baron house so maintaining a visible private force would attract the wrong kind of attention.
That was precisely what they were trying to avoid.
Instead, they funded several adventurer groups under the guise of logistics protection, using them to escort goods and secure trade routes
However, adventurers could not be trusted and the one they were in league with was Simon.
Catherine exhaled slowly, blades lowering at her sides as the pieces aligned in her mind.
After several moments of silence, she spoke.
"Agree to his demand."
Mara and Emma both looked at her.
"He will be inducted into the core circle," Catherine continued. Then, after a brief pause, her gaze hardened. "Make sure Simon does not find out."
"Yes, Mistress," they replied in unison, bowing before turning to leave.
The door closed behind them.
Catherine let out a long breath.
She rolled her shoulders, raised her dagger, and stepped back toward the nearest mannequin and just before she hit her target, something struck the back of her neck.
Her vision blurred instantly and darkness followed.
Outside the training room, the guards remained at their posts, unaware that their mistress had just been kidnapped.